History DuelingWorks / Other

** '''Capsule Pitch Description:''' Television networks with a primary focus on children's animation. Both networks are among the primary sources of {{UsefulNotes/Television}} animation, having been so for the last 20 years. They're also two of the major forces against the AnimationAgeGhetto.

* Platform/{{Steam}} / Direct2Drive, Impulse, Origin (formerly EA Store), Games for Windows Live marketplace, [[Website/GOGDotCom Gog.com]], many others.

* Website/MySpace / Website/{{Facebook}}

* UsefulNotes/LaserDisc / Video UsefulNotes/{{CD}}; UsefulNotes/{{CED}}

* HD UsefulNotes/{{DVD}} / UsefulNotes/BluRay

* UsefulNotes/{{Betamax}} / Video Home System (UsefulNotes/{{VHS}}); Video 2000

* Website/LiveJournal / Website/{{Tumblr}}

** '''Implementation:''' The Rift and Vive are designed for high-end [=PCs=], while the [=PlayStation=] VR is an accessory for the UsefulNotes/{{Playstation 4}}. The former two also have in-built motion tracking, while the PSVR relies on the [=PS4's=] camera to track head position. The Vive is the only one of the three to include motion controllers as standard, with the other two having them as optional extras.

* UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} / Direct2Drive, Impulse, Origin (formerly EA Store), Games for Windows Live marketplace, [[Website/GOGDotCom Gog.com]], many others.

* UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade / Playstation Store, UsefulNotes/WiiWare Marketplace

** '''Implementation:''' Xbox Live Arcade debuted on the original Xbox, but really took off with the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}. The other two debuted on the UsefulNotes/{{Playstation 3}} and UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} respectively, and later expanded their range to include the UsefulNotes/PlaystationPortable and [[UsefulNotes/NintendoDS DSi]].
* ''iOS'' / ''UsefulNotes/{{Android}}'', Windows Phone, Windows 8 & RT

* UsefulNotes/OculusRift / UsefulNotes/HTCVive; Sony [=PlayStation=] VR

** '''Capsule Pitch Description:''' VirtualReality devices, released in 2016.

* ''iOS'' / ''{{Android}}'', Windows Phone, Windows 8 & RT

[[folder:Store Chains]]

** '''Implementation:''' ''Marketing books have been written on the subject''.

* HMV / Virgin Megastores (later Zavvi), Our Price

[[folder:Other]]

* Ride/DisneyThemeParks / Ride/UniversalStudios
** '''Capsule Pitch Description:''' Very elaborate and high-tech theme parks, owned by a major entertainment company.
** '''Implementation:''' Disney is widely associated with a family audience, while Universal skews slightly older (and has the added appeal of real movie sets and props on display). Universal Studios technically came first, since the studio tour began in 1915, but it didn't make the transfer to a theme park until 1964 -- nine years after the opening of Disneyland.

** '''Winner?:''' Technically ongoing, but Windows still has upwards to 90% market share between all versions, while the Mac usually hovers around the 7% mark. GNU/Linux accounts for 1-2% of the desktops, but most of the servers and supercomputers.

** '''Winner?:''' None of the formats ever became particularly popular outside of the A/V enthusiast market, though [=LaserDisc=] was the most successful overall ([[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff especially in Japan]]). CED crashed and burned pretty hard, losing developers RCA nearly a '''billion''' dollars and contributing to the demise of the company in 1986. Video CD never became especially successful outside of a few niche applications (and in Asian countries other than Japan), but its SpiritualSuccessor, UsefulNotes/{{DVD}}, would finally achieve mass-market popularity.

** '''Winner?:''' A draw between DVD-R(W) and DVD+R(W) -- most manufacturers quickly started producing dual-mode DVD±RW drives, which nullified the differences between the two formats. Most users are still unsure as to why this format war ever started in the first place. DVD-RAM was definitely the least successful of the three; despite being the most technically advanced of the formats, it also suffered much more from compatibility problems than the other two formats.

** '''Winner?:''' Toshiba discontinued its format on Feb 19, 2008. Three key factors in HD DVD's defeat: Sony securing retailer support over time, Creator/WarnerBros announcing that it would cease HD DVD support on Jan. 4, 2008 (after having been the only movie studio to issue discs in both formats), and finally Wal-Mart announcing exclusive support. The UsefulNotes/{{PS3}} is assumed to be a factor, although the two other decisions were based on player sales ''other'' than the [=PS3=].[[note]]This might have been a PyrrhicVictory, as Wal-Mart has recently announced DVD and Blu-ray movies will not be displayed on aisle caps due to slowing sales.[[/note]] Conventional wisdom is that in 2006 the public wasn't ready for another new format so soon after DVD, and that Blu-ray will probably never replace DVD in any significant manner, with streaming video a much more likely successor.[[note]](though Blu-ray may get a stay of execution thanks to countries outside North America generally having much lower internet connection speeds, together with the release of an updated version which supports 4K/Ultra HD content)[[/note]]

** '''Winner?:''' This battle ended up being a tie, with both formats flourishing: the LP became the standard format for albums while the 7-inch 45 rpm speed became the standard for singles until the 1980s with the rise of the cassette, 12-inch single, and CD. RCA began issuing LP albums in March 1950 and Columbia started releasing singles on 45 in August 1950. [[note]]33 1/3 rpm singles made a brief, unsuccessful comeback during 1959-62.[[/note]]

** '''Winner?:''' VHS recovered from a slow first few years to win out, thanks to its lower price and longer record times. Betamax is now synonymous with technological failure in the market, despite having better video/audio quality and durability. See also TheRuleOfFirstAdopters. Video 2000, meanwhile, ended up essentially dead-on-arrival after co-developers Philips and Grundig messed up their first line of [=VCRs=], rendering recordings on one company's machines incompatible with those of the other.

** '''Winner?:''' In truth, none of them; the CD-RW (and, subsequently, USB sticks) took over the market for these drives. Out of the three however, Zip Drive was the only one that could truly claim to be a success. LS-120 never really caught on, and [=HiFD=] was an embarrassing failure, after it turned out to have an irreparably flawed design.

** '''Winner?:''' The Kindle, which has spawned a range of different models, and even spun off into Amazon's own tablet brand. The Nook is still going, but sales have declined significantly in recent years, to the point where by late 2015 only one actual model was on sale, alongside a bunch of "tablet" versions that were just rebranded Samsung Galaxy Tabs.

** '''Winner?:''' With all three systems out, it's looking like the PSVR is already the winner in sales terms, having quickly outpaced both its rivals thanks to the ''combined'' price of a [=PS4=] and PSVR being equal to or lower than them. That being said, the Vive has been near-unanimously deemed the best system of the three by critics due to its precise Lighthouse tracking system and included motion controllers. The Rift suffered from tracking issues for the first three months of Oculus Touch's availability, making it look technologically inferior to the Vive while being far more expensive than the PSVR, but a recent software update that fixed the tracking problems and a significant price cut to $600 for Rift and Touch combined could help redeem Oculus in the VR market.

** '''Winner?:''' Dolby Digital and DTS, due to having home theater versions. SDDS enjoyed minor success but was phased out in the early 2000s. Cinema Digital Sound was the big loser, not helped by Creator/StevenSpielberg denouncing the format during production of ''Film/{{Hook}}''.

** '''Winner?:''' From Wiki/TheOtherWiki... According to Beverage Digest's 2008 report on carbonated soft drinks, [=PepsiCo=]'s U.S. market share is 30.8 percent, while The Coca-Cola Company's is 42.7 percent. Coke lost ground to Pepsi in the late 1960s, but the [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks New Coke fiasco]] of 1985 and subsequent reintroduction of the original formula catapulted Coke back to the #1 spot, which it holds to this day. Internationally, Coke has more than double the market share of Pepsi, with just over 1/4 of the ''world'' market, and as of early 2013 continues restructuring and investing to grow non-US markets even further.

** '''Winner?:''' M&M's has more exposure, but Smarties came out first, in 1882 (M&M's in the 1930s).

** '''Winner?:''' Oreo still thrives today. Hydrox was reformulated as Droxies in 1996, and then discontinued in 2001. Hydrox was briefly revived by Kellogg's in 2008 to celebrate the cookie's 100th anniversary, and is set to make a full-on return in autumn 2014, courtesy of Leaf Brands (who now owns the trademark). It still has a strong cult following, and is said to be far superior to Oreo.

** '''Winner?:''' Kinder Surprise due to its widespread exposure.

** '''Winner?:''' Oxo is still available in Britain, Canada and South Africa, the first being where the company that owns the brand is located. Bovril is more popular and recognizable around the world.

** '''Winner?:''' Gatorade wins due to a variety of products, which is what Powerade lacked.

** '''Winner?:''' Axe/Lynx is the most successful deodorant brand in the world, while Tag was discontinued in late 2010.

** '''Winner?:''' The Sunggie is the most (in)famous of the two, thanks to its [[MemeticMutation memorable]] commercial showing people TooIncompetentToOperateABlanket.

** '''Winner?:''' Sham Wow! is more well-known, despite coming out later. According to Popular Mechanics, it is the more effective of the two.

** '''Winner?:''' Quick Chop came out first, though the Slap Chop is more well-known.

** '''Winner?:''' The duel of the diapers is a draw. The debate as to which brand's base product is more absorbent and form-fitting rages on. As far as sub-products go, Huggies has more success.

** '''Winner?:''' Depend wins in the US with a larger market share and more recognition than the other two, but TENA has a much larger market share overseas. Always Discreet comes in second in both instances, though time will tell if it will catch up eventually, as they claim to have a more advanced product than Depend.

** '''Winner?:''' [[NetworkDecay Sadly, only losers]]. Neither company could survive on its own and have now merged (Sirius bought XM if you want to get technical). The future is still murky.

** '''Winner?:''' In the autumn of 1990, after six months going head-to-head, BSB conceded defeat, its CEO resigned, and it was taken over by Sky. Some of BSB's original investors remained with the new company, now called British Sky Broadcasting.

** '''Winner?:''' Sky Digital was virtually guaranteed to win this war from Day 1, due to its existing subscriber base and the KillerApp of live [[UsefulNotes/EnglishPremierLeague Premier League]] football. NTL/Blueyonder did quite well, though the UK's rather limited cable network correspondingly limited their success. [=ONDigital=] barely kept their heads above water from 1998 to 2001, and ITV Digital later became arguably the most notorious corporate failure in UK history, as plummeting subscriber numbers and a vastly overpriced Football League[[note]]The divisions below the Premier League, which absolutely no-one was interested in because the supporters of those teams generally tend to ''go to the matches themselves''[[/note]] contract saw the company disintegrate spectacularly in early 2002.

** '''Winner?:''' Steam benefited from having a series of [[KillerApp Killer Apps]] (first ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'', then ''VideoGame/CounterStrike: Source'', and most recently ''VideoGame/Left4Dead''), and currently holds a commanding lead. Origin has quickly taken over the second place spot thanks to EA making nearly all their new PC releases exclusive to the service, while third place is held by Gog.com, thanks to its large, DRM-free catalogue of indie and classic games. The other services scrap over a fairly minimal remaining marketshare. The Games for Windows Live marketplace crashed and burned pretty badly (eventually being discontinued in August 2013), and so was replaced by an integrated app store with more of a focus on indie and casual titles in Windows 8.

** '''Winner?:''' Xbox Live Arcade is currently the most successful and has the best overall reputation, likely due to the fact that it was the first out and the Xbox 360 is currently selling better than the Playstation 3. The Playstation Store is also quite successful, albeit not to the same extent. On its own terms the [=WiiWare=] Marketplace would be in last place by an embarrassingly huge margin, but as an offshoot to Nintendo's already-successful Virtual Console service, they can probably live with that. That being said, all three services are rapidly losing support from indie developers due to much more open digital distribution services such as the iPhone app store, UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}, UsefulNotes/{{Desura}}, and so on -- XBLA has been under fire by developers for years as being much less indie-friendly than it should be -- such as ludicrous fees (in the tens of thousands) for ''patches'' of all things.

** '''Winner?:''' Though the [=iPhone=] and [=iPad=] are the biggest-selling ''individual'' smartphones and tablets respectively, Android holds an overwhelming overall marketshare advantage, accounting for around 65% of the combined market. The various Windows products occupy a distant third place, with Windows 8 and RT having made little impact.

** '''Winner?:''' Currently, the animation {{fandom}} will give to CN, having recovered from its infamous tangle with NetworkDecay and put out great shows such as ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' and ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', while Nick is currently relying on constant reruns ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'', ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'', any flavor-of-the-week cartoon they made as a successor to those two (''WesternAnimation/{{Breadwinners}}'', ''WesternAnimation/SanjayAndCraig'', ''WesternAnimation/FanboyAndChumChum''), and other live-action shows they have that don't exactly have the wit and sparkle of the older shows, like ''Series/ClarissaExplainsItAll'', ''Series/AllThat'', or ''Series/AreYouAfraidOfTheDark''. Overall, both networks have had their ups and downs, have lasted long enough to [[Creator/NickRewind appeal to the]] [[WesternAnimation/CartoonPlanet nostalgia market]], and just about every show in their libraries has its fans young and old. Currently, Nick sees more financial success whereas CN is a bigger hit with [[PeripheryDemographic older audiences]].

** '''Winner?:''' [=LiveJournal=] made constant technical and implementation mistakes in the late 2000's, then in 2007 it banned 100's of blogs without warning, and began to shed users in the thousands in protest. Later that year it was sold to a Russian firm for a rumoured $20 million as it maintains huge popularity in Russia. Tumblr was the major recipient of the fandom exodus, gained hipster cred in addition to the fandom and social justice movement, has an Alexa rank of 31 and rising compared to [=LiveJournal=]'s rank of 134. Tumblr was bought by Website/{{Yahoo}} for $1.1 billion dollars in 2013.

** '''Winner?:''' Put it this way -- Facebook had an [[Film/TheSocialNetwork Oscar-nominated film]] made about its founder, while "Deader Than [=MySpace=]" has practically become the 21st century's version of [[CondemnedByHistory "Deader than Disco"]]. In fairness, [=MySpace=] actually was the more popular of the two until around early 2007, but its subscriber base totally disintegrated after that, mostly due to its outdated design and the few new features that were introduced being heavily disliked by its dwindling userbase. Another reason why [=MySpace=] disintegrated was because, due to being able to change the color of your page's background and add effects, much of the teenage fanbase decided to use distracting sparkle effects and fluorescent colors. Facebook's mostly unchangeable blue-and-white scheme was seen as much more professional (as businesses at the time were just starting to get into the social-media game) and more importantly, less of an eyesore.

** '''Winner?:''' The Criterion Collection seems to be the more recognizable name, so it wins in terms of financial success. However, both companies have met great acclaim for helping keep old films alive, especially silents. Kino helped fund the restoration when a complete print of the silent classic ''Metropolis'' was found, getting them much attention and praise. In reality, nobody is a loser here.

** '''Winner?:''' While Todd Wilbur has a great deal of popularity as early as the '90s as a recipe cloner, Ron Douglas managed to apparently "clone" the 11 herbs and spices in the Original Recipe Chicken, a closely guarded recipe. Wilbur also cloned snack foods which puts him at a higher advantage.

** '''Winner?:''' The ''Dummies'' books are far more well-known ([[ParodiesForDummies and parodied]]) with their yellow covers and mascot, although both lines continue to publish new titles to this day.

** '''Winner?:''' While the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pubic_Wars "Pubic Wars"]] ramped up how graphic the pictures got (and even led to the creation of downright obscene ''Hustler''), ''Penthouse'' went through a bigger MagazineDecay and even bankrupted at a certain point. ''Playboy'' also wins for still being considered a [[IReadItForTheArticles "classy"]] lad magazine.

** '''Winner?:''' Even though online encyclopedias have largely replaced book research, World Book is the lone major encyclopedia to remain in print, with a 2022 edition announced for sale in December 2021. Other encyclopedias have had varying levels of success.

** '''Winner?:''' UsefulNotes/McDonalds is generally the first chain most people the world over think of when they think of fast food; it also has a long history of starting or popularizing many fast food trends that are followed by its competitors (e.g., fish sandwiches, kids' meals, play-places). That said, Burger King has long been a steady second-place, particularly after the demise of former runner-up Burger Chef in the 1980s.

** '''Winner?:''' Krystal is dominant in the Southeastern United States, while White Castle is more in the Midwest and Northeast (minus New England). Kentucky and Tennessee are the only states that have both. White Castle seems to be the more mainstream of the two (especially given ''Film/HaroldAndKumarGoToWhiteCastle''), but the ultimate winner depends on both personal tastes and which side of the Mason-Dixon line you're on.

** '''Winner?:''' At their peaks in the 80s and 90s, Waldenbooks had B. Dalton beat in number of stores, but B. Dalton was more profitable. Both chains fell hard in the 1990s due to various factors, with Barnes & Noble acquiring B. Dalton; Kmart briefly owned both Borders and Waldenbooks, but both spun off into their own company. Barnes & Noble closed all but two B. Dalton stores in 2010, while the closure of Borders in 2011 took the last few Waldenbooks (many of which had been rebranded "Borders Express") with it.

** '''Winner?:''' Barnes & Noble is still hanging in there, both with its online branch and its stores. As mentioned above, Borders closed in 2011. Many Borders and Waldenbooks locations were sold to Books-A-Million, whose base was largely in the less Borders-heavy South.

** '''Winner?:''' Kresge died off in 1987 as the parent company chose to focus more on UsefulNotes/{{Kmart}} (see below), with some stores defecting to the smaller [=McCrory=] chain. Woolworth itself hung on until 1997, with its own discount division (Woolco) having only lasted from 1962 to 1983 (except in Canada, where it survived until a 1997 buyout by UsefulNotes/{{Walmart}}). Woolworth was also the former parent company of athletic shoe store chain Foot Locker and jewelry/accessory store Claire's, both of which have successfully outlived their parent.

** '''Winner?:''' Walmart is an international monster and shows no signs of stopping, especially after kicking off the super-center trend in the 1990s (although locally-owned Meijer has been giving it a run for its money in Michigan). Kmart has completely withdrawn from large chunks of the world, filed for bankruptcy in 2002, and now only barely clings to life as a division of the also-troubled Sears. Target began successfully moving more upscale, only to stumble partway through TheNewTens thanks in part to a widespread credit card breach, and an extremely unsuccessful entry into Canada via acquisition of Zellers (which itself had snatched up most of Kmart's abandoned Canadian locations) that led to them only lasting a year there.

** '''Winner?:''' A draw. Costco's ahead in revenue, but Walmart-owned Sam's Club beats it in number of locations. (However, BJ's Wholesale club seems to be fending off both pretty well in the Northeast.)

** '''Winner?:''' [=GameStop=] by acquiring several competitors: Software Etc. (owned by B. Dalton), Walden Software (owned by Waldenbooks), and Funco Land, then finally took EB Games to become the front runner.

** '''Winner?:''' Linens 'n Things closed all of its stores in 2008, but remains as an online retailer. Bed Bath & Beyond still operates over 900 stores.

** '''Winner?:''' Circuit City closed all of its stores in 2009 but continues to sell products online. While Best Buy is still hanging in there, there have been sporadic closures while other stores have been reduced in size.

** '''Winner?:''' Both in the U.S. and globally, Lowe's ranks second to only Home Depot in number of stores and overall revenue.

** '''Winner?:''' True Value has more locations (5,000 to the approximately 4,000 each for Do It Best and Ace), but Do It Best and Ace have higher revenue (approximately $3 million each).

** '''Winner?:''' HMV by virtue of the "last man standing" rule -- Our Price collapsed in the late 1990s after a decade of mismanagement, while Zavvi were taken down by the 2008 collapse of Woolworths, who they used as their exclusive supplier. HMV themselves almost went out of business in 2013, but fortunately were in somewhat better shape than Zavvi and so were saved with just a few store closures, though their future remains uncertain at best.

** '''Winner?:''' For many years, Family Dollar was the clear front runner, but Dollar General took off in TheNewTens to surpass its competitor by over 3,000 locations and over $6 billion in revenue. Dollar General has also strengthened its foothold by opening Dollar General Markets, which feature small grocery sections.

** '''Winner?:''' Walgreens is the only one of the three to operate in all 50 states, while CVS is the most profitable of the three. Rite Aid is a distant third in all aspects.

** '''Winner?:''' Sears, on both the catalog and store fronts. Montgomery Ward discontinued their catalogs in 1985 and went out of business in 2001 (the website that bears its name launched in 2004 and was founded by a company that bought the trademark). The Sears catalog lasted until 1993 (and wewasre relaunched in 2007), and despite a number of business setbacks many of their stores remain open as of October 2017.

** '''Winner?:''' Chevy took the sales lead from Ford in the late '20s and held it for most of the rest of the 20th century; fast-forwarding a bit, GM has needed bailout money (now largely paid back) and Ford just barely held on without it. Ford expanded in the '20s by opening branch factories and has long been a worldwide brand, while GM expanded by buying up existing companies (Opel, Holden, etc.) thus only before UsefulNotes/WW2 and in the past decade has Chevrolet had much presence outside North America.

** '''Winner?:''' EMD and its E and F series won for several reasons. The first is that EMD took the initiative and opened the diesel market in the United States. The second is that EMD had more reliable technology that benefited from regular testing and follow-ups in the field. The third is that Alco and Baldwin were encumbered by their continued faith in steam locomotives, while Fairbanks-Morse lacked the production capacity, so EMD was more willing and able to mass-produce diesel locomotives. By 1960, when the steam locomotives had been retired from American railroads, approximately 70 percent of diesels were EMD products.

** '''Winner?:''' [=MR2=] won by a mile. The original 1984 Fieros had an engine manufacturing flaw that could result in the car [[EveryCarIsAPinto catching fire,]] which gave the Fiero a black eye for reliability [[NeverLiveItDown despite all subsequent model years not having the fault.]] Pontiac eventually retired the Fiero after 1988, right after it received considerable upgrades to the suspension and other key components, and GM would discontinue the Pontiac marque entirely decades later. Meanwhile, the [=MR2=] continued Toyota's tradition of [[MadeOfIndestructium sheer reliability]] while offering another sporty alternative to the Celica and Supra with superbly tuned handling, and was produced for another decade for two more generations. Ultimately, while the [=MR2=] won out, Toyota no longer produces them, making the only affordable options for mid-engine cars without supercar prices all second-hand examples that are now steadily climbing up in price.

** '''Winner?:''' Always going to be a matter of opinion as far as who makes the better product overall, but guitarists in general come out as winners. The difference in their products are significant enough that there's a market for the "Gibson sound" and the "Fender sound", and it's not uncommon to see players who have one of each, and the overwhelming majority of other guitar manufacturers are expanding (or improving) upon Fender or Gibson designs to some degree.

** '''Winner?:''' Disney has more parks worldwide (currently 11, with a new one opening in 2015; compare to Universal's 5, with 2 more planned), and is currently the most-visited amusement park operator in the world, with about 119 million annual visitors. Universal is ''third'', with about 30 million annual visitors, behind Merlin Entertainments, with 41 million.